Eastern Siberia – Pacific Ocean Project Management centre has set up props under the nests of the Oriental stork in a sate nature reserve in Khabarovsk Territory

PMC ESPO (Eastern Siberia – Pacific Ocean Project Management centre), a Transneft subsidiary, has set up two artificial props in Aistiny (Storks) nature reserve in Khabarovsk Territory. The props will later be used by Oriental storks inhabiting this place for their nests.

This conservation effort was recommended by the Institute of Water and Ecological Problems under the Far East Branch of the Russian Academy of Sciences. It is also included in the list of compensatory measures anticipated in the project of building a route road for the oil trunk pipeline of the ESPO PS (Eastern Siberia – Pacific Ocean Pipeline System) running through Khabarovsk Territory.

At the environmental survey stage, an Oriental stork nest was discovered just 700 meters away from the future route road. Although the nest was left untouched during the road construction, on the advice of conservationists, two manmade nests were created in the nature reserve lying within several kilometres from the road under construction.

These essential measures were taken to conserve the rare bird species. The Oriental stork is included into the Red Book of Russia and is also protected in Japan and China.

Experts say the artificial nests may remain empty for a few years, since storks prefer to not change their habitat and the location where they bring up their nestlings throughout their lifetime. Their grown offspring, however, may well nestle on the props set up by PMC ESPO.